Indestructible
by Skywolf24
Summary: Bucky Barnes always protected Steve from danger, and now, after getting wounded he learns the true strength of their friendship.


**Indestructible  
**

**All characters belong to Marvel Comics**

**I own nothing.**

* * *

He listened to the deafening sounds of rapid gun fire, shells cascaded through the humid air, his resilient heart was pumping faster against his rib cage-he kept his shield raised high above his shoulder, wincing as blood seeped out of the dark navy blue material of his uniform. His broad, carved cheekbones became tarnished into ashen dimness of exhaustion. He kept his steady and indestructible cobalt colored eyes firmly on the fallen soldier cradled against his heaving chest, he exhaled out a rapid intake of breath and kept his arm securely on his lifelong friend-James Buchanan Barnes.

Clenching his sturdy jaw hard, Steve tentatively caressed his clammy fingers of the serrated plates of the metal star, covering the bright crimson star with the leather wrapped over his palm. He balanced the weight of his arm over Bucky's blood daubed shoulder-clamping his teeth as the heavy alloy shield strained and pulled the muscles of his bicep, he refused to lower his weapon down. He lowered his deep blue eyes down at Bucky; hot tears welled in the shadowy depth of his stern gaze.

Bucky looked ghostly pale when he fought against the tantalizing pain surging through his battered frame, his chin length strands of mahogany were dyed at the straggly ends with horrendous and violent maroon that oozed from the gashes off his exposed and translucent skin. He was slowly fading

"Buck," Steve uttered in a warm and serene voice, fighting against the tears streaking down his pronounced cheekbones. He carefully brushed away the strands off of Bucky's heavy and well-defined jaw line. He kept his glistening eyes latched onto the faint shimmers of steel-azure slowly gathering the rays of sunlight as Bucky managed to open his eyelids. He jerked his friend slightly against him. "Hang in there, pal."

'Don't I always," Bucky replied in a rough voice, curving his lips into a cocky smirk, his eyes loosely closing shut. He kept his exquisitely shaped lips formed into a misty smile as he forced out a heavy breath, grimacing as pressure ignited in his lungs. "This reminds me of the time when I found your skinny ass beaten up in that alley-you were still holding that damn trash can lid." He ghosted out a chuckle, and Steve watched a line of blood slither down to the curve of his chin. "You never gave up a fight, even when those jerks had you on the ropes." Bucky countered in raspy tone.

Steve frowned slightly, pulling Bucky closer to him, allowing his friend's head to rest on his shoulder. "How could I when I was becoming stubborn as you, Buck."

Bucky peeled open his hazy azure eyes and squinted at Steve, the curvilinear edges of his lips slacked up into lazy smile. He lifted up his metal hand, touching Steve's smooth jaw, "Now, I'm the one who needs saving." He echoed back with a nonchalant tone, a small drop of blood run over the small cleft of his chin and dripped down his throat. "Why did you come back here?" he asked, keeping his hand firmly on Steve's face. "I deserve this..."

Steve shook his head sharply, "I came back because you're my friend." he said with an honest gleam in his eyes, bending his head down as he rested his chin against Bucky's drenched forehead. "That is never going to change between us, Buck."

Bucky swallowed down his stubborn instilled pride and spoke faintly, almost like a breath against Steve's feverish skin. "Will you save me, Steve?" he asked in a low pitch, his blue eyes drowning with unwashed tears. "Will you bring me back home?" he mumbled sharply at Steve, trying to hide his fear as his gaze wandered over the smoking wreckage around them.

"Yes, Buck." Steve nodded, his voice threatening to crack into a sob. He embraced his arm tightly over the span of Bucky's shoulders. He spared a glance over his friend's uniform, the carbon black leather and Kevlar was torn and hanging off his exposed, chest, the graven muscles of his firm pectorals were covered with a fresh layer of bruising and a gaping hole from a sniper bullet was lodged in his mid-section. He was severely injured by two Hydra operative snipers following the orders of Brock Rumlow.

Steve recoiled slightly as he felt the force a shell clash against his shield, shaking his arm as he unleashed a snarl of anguish. He was left with only one to save Bucky from the crossfire-he lowered his shield and threw it into the direction of the reminding operative. The shield sliced through the fog of smoke and panned into the stomach of the sniper, knocking off his feet as the rifle slipped from his hands.

"We have a clear shot to move now, Buck." He said with a defiant smirk tugging over his smooth lips, but then he frozen as he acutely listened to the muffled breathing escaping from Bucky. He instinctively narrowed his eyes and lowered Bucky's wilted frame gently to the ground. He shook his head, listening to the deathly stillness of his friend. "No," he cried, clenching his hand into a tight and shaking fist. "No." He pounded his friend's chest with every ounce of strength that flowed through his veins.

"Come on, Buck" he screamed with ear shattering pitches. "I can't lose you." He pulled off his helmet-tossing it to the ground and he tilted his head down, burying his face into Bucky's chest as he mustered up a few words that had been engraved onto his fracture heart since that moment he watched Bucky fall off of Zola's train. "I can't lose you again...I'm not strong enough." His body rattled and soul became torn apart by sobs. 'I'm not strong enough to let you go, pal."

Rearing his head up, Steve placed his hand over Bucky's jaw, "I will save you, Bucky Barnes." He clamped his eyelids shut, drawing out a abysmal and strangled breath. He reopened his eyes and parted Bucky's lips, listening for any sign of hope-there was a weak flow of air but it wasn't enough to assure him that Bucky was alive. He sucked up his own breath, feeling his stomach churn with dread and lowered his lips over Bucky's mouth, his upper lip encased over his Cupid's bow. He parted his lips wider and breathed air back into Bucky's lungs, there was still no response.

Steve released another intake of air, this time keeping his hand firmly gripped over Bucky's pulse point. He forget how to perform CPR, but he knew that he was breathing life back into his friend and felt the rise and fall of Bucky's chest against his arms. "Come on, Buck," he whispered over his friend's mouth. "Don't quit the fight."

Suddenly, Bucky snapped up his eyes, staring at Steve with bewilderment masking over his fierce blue orbs. He gasped out a lung full air and fiercely pulled his head away from Steve with a scowl. "I wasn't dead...» he growled, using the back of his metal hand to wipe the moisture of his mouth before gritting his teeth "I was just knocked out."

Steve nodded, and placed his hand on his best friend's shoulder and remained silent.

Bucky gave him a lopsided smirk, "Well, thanks for saving for me, punk." He lightly punched Steve's shoulder.

"Don't mention it jerk," Steve broadly smiled; he reeled up onto his feet and extended out a hand for Bucky to take.

Bucky reached up and clutched his friend's hand; Steve hauled him up as he said looking sincerely into the super-soldier's watery blue eyes. "I was ready to take it, Steve."

Steve furrowed his golden eyebrows, "Take what, Buck?"

"You're hand," he answered in muted voice, tears rolled down his cut-stone features as he narrowed his eyes at Steve's hand enclosed around his metal one. "When you offered it to me on the train...I was going to your hand... but I fell."

"I'm never going to let you fall ever again, Buck," Steve squeezed his friend's hand.

Bucky smiled radiantly at him, "Thank you, Steve."


End file.
